


Seeing Red

by KESwriter



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Menstruation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27704806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KESwriter/pseuds/KESwriter
Summary: Jack rescues the Doctor from prison, as she has her first period (she can remember). The fam is in danger, and the Doctor has to do some clever thinking to save them.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

I knew I shouldn’t have skived off most of Time Lord physiology. Now I’m paying for it, sitting on a loo in Judoon prison, peeing blood.

None of my companions complained much about this sort of thing. The more I traveled with them, the better I came to understand their mood changes every twenty-eight days, and learned to tread lightly. It was problematic on occasion, when we were stuck in Rome or Planet Ebry for example, with no access to feminine hygiene products. After one calamitous adventure with Ace, she stormed through the TARDIS and stuffed her jacket with tampons, to ensure an emergency like that would never happen again. Rose turned positively red, when she had to ask where I kept the products and I didn’t know. That was an interesting hour. Now going through it, I want to congratulate every one of my female companions for not making a bigger stink about peeing blood once a month. 

Timelords don’t have periods as often, that much I remembered. Only once every eighteen months. I think they are heavier too. So, it’s been a year since I saw my fam, I miss them. Being alone isn’t good for me, even in a cell, with no chance of being “timelord victorious.” I know I’m starting to crack, all alone, and “being on the rag” isn’t helping.

My food was dropped through a slot.

“Hey,” I said in my most chipper tone. “You don’t by any chance have a tampon or a sanitary napkin, would you?”

“Timelords can use any object to create trouble,” the brute said. “We will give you a new uniform in three months.”

“Thanks,” I said cheerfully.

It huffed, and stomped off.

So, the smell of my crotch was going to keep me company for three months. They’ve only let me shower once since I came here. I probably shouldn’t have tried making a run for it in my birthday suit, but could you blame me?

The pain, the lethargy, no one told me being a woman was this bloody (literally) difficult! Though I had been a woman before, I just don’t remember it. That’s a “can of worms” to worry about another time.

Then I heard it. It was faint at first but grew louder. Before my eyes, my beautiful TARDIS materialized!

The door opened. Jack appeared, with a winning smile.

“You missed me, right?” 

I tried to smile, but it took effort. As though my face had forgotten on how to react in such a way.

“How’s my fam?”

“Being in chased by the Daleks,” he said. “I thought I’d rescue you first.”

I stood and rushed past him.

“You should have left me in prison. You know how dangerous the Daleks are!”

“Is this how you thank me? Not even a hug?”

“We can play catchup as soon as my friends are no longer in danger.”

I twisted nobs and put the TARDIS destination for earth.

“I think it an advance guard,” Jack said. “Only three so far, which is why I wasn’t particularly worried about them. I mean every companion should be able to take down a few Daleks.”

“You talk as though you have never been killed by one.”

“It wasn’t the most painful way to die. Are you okay?”

He stared straight at me. I looked away.

“I’ve spent a year in Judoon prison, I’ve been better. How’d you bypass the security to get into the place?”

“I traded sexual favors with a Gaimaniac.”

“Jack!”

“Don’t ask a question you don’t want to know the answer to!”

We arrived at earth. I rushed to the door.

“Doc!”

I stopped impatiently.

“Don’t you want to change?” he asked.

“Yaz, Graham, Ryan and the rest of the world are in danger! Now is not the time to discuss a wardrobe change!”

“After we save the planet, we’re talking,” he said seriously.

“After we save the world,” I said and rushed out.

We were outside a school and a Dalek had cornered my fam.

“Dalek!” I said. “What do you want?”

“Doctor!” Yaz shouted.

“To exterminate the entire planet!” it said.

“Has anyone told you, you could use some new material? How many times do we have to do this dance?”

“It is the prime command that Earth must be destroyed!”

“You know I’ll stop you. I always have. I always will!”

“You have been in prison for the last year!”

“What?” Ryan said.

“You’re keeping tabs on me. How caring of you.”

I twitched my head in the direction of Jack. Everyone was out of his line of fire. In rapid succession, he pulled out a gun, and blew the Dalek’s head off.

“Are there anymore?” I asked.

“The other two were heading for the grocery store,” Graham said.

“Jack see if you can upload any data off of it, to figure out their plan.”

“Doctor are you okay?” Yaz asked.

“Prison isn’t exactly fun, but I’m okay.”

“But your pants.”

“What about them?”

“They’re stained.”

I looked down on myself.

“It’s nothing to worry about. You human women have them monthly. I’ll be fine. Jack what does the data show?”

“That a fleet of them are now coming towards us.”

“Oh brilliant,” I muttered.

“Alfie NO!”

A medium-sized white dog rushed forward and stuck its nose in my crotch.

“I’m so sorry!” a young woman with reddish brown hair said. “He doesn’t usually do this.”

Then I smiled a real smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I petted the dog. “He just gave me a world-saving idea.”


	2. Chapter 2

I pulled a spare sonic screwdriver out of the TARDIS.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Graham asked.

“I am never a hundred percent certain of anything,” I said. “But this is the best plan I’ve got.”

Jack appeared.

“Daleks are fast approaching the planet. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, do it now.”

I aimed the sonic at my crotch.

“Ew,” Ryan said.

“Wait for it.”

There was a cacophony of barking. It filled the TARDIS.

“Canis locus, space dogs,” I said. “They’re the rottweilers of the universe. Hyper-sensitive to smell, they’ll destroy anything that gets in the way of investigating what they’re trying to smell.”

“It’s working,” Jack said as he looked at his device. “The Daleks are retreating.”

“Brilliant, Doctor,” Yaz said.

“Could you have used the pups during the Time War?” Jack asked.

“They get spooked by large scale assaults,” I said. “One planet is no problem. But something much bigger would scare them from whatever they’re curious about.”

The barking grew louder. I walked to the door and felt like someone had kicked me. I doubled over slightly.

“Doctor!” Yaz shouted.

“Let me just meet the dogs, Yaz. They won’t go quietly unless I say hello to them.”

A dozen ten-foot-tall black dogs appeared with their massive tails wagging.

“Hi!” I said.

One came over and licked my hair.

“Yeah, I know could use a bath.”

Another laid on its back.

“Someone wants a belly rub!”

My fam looked on nervously.

“Go on! They’re dogs, they just want to be petted, and played with!”

They began to wrestle each other. Another came over on its belly, and proceeded to sniff my crotch with it’s nose the size of a football.

The residents of Sheffield stepped out and the dogs brought over cars to play fetch with. Children laughed and other dogs barked in excitement. No one was particularly scared. This was probably the most pleasant alien invasion they had ever experienced.

After an hour of playing the dogs grew bored and tired.

“Playtime is over!” I said. “Time to go back into space! It was nice meeting you.”

I waved my sonic in the air as a signal for them to leave. One gave me a final lick before flying back into space.

“You’re covered in space dog slobber!” Yaz said.

“Is there anything wrong with that?” I said with a laugh.

I felt another stabbing pain.

“How about a shower?” Yaz asked.

“I like the way you think, Yasmine Khan.”  
…

Yaz insisted I come back to her place, to change and shower. I had forgotten how good water felt. Gushing all over me. Hot water felt amazing. I stayed until my fingers got wrinkly. It just felt so good.

I found a choice of tampons and pads waiting when I got out. I opted for a pad, as sticking something up in that region scared me a little. It felt so good to be clean.

Changing into the fluffiest pair of pajamas I owned, I stepped out, and walked down the hall. There was the smell of fudge in the air. I found Yaz in the living room with all sorts of sweets, from biscuits, to brownies waiting for me on a table in front of the couch.

“Yaz, you didn’t have to,” I said.

“It’s your first period, Doctor,” she said. “You need to know how to deal with it.”

“With sugar?”

“Lots of it! And tea and there is ice cream in the freezer.”

She pulled out a blanket. “Sit and be comfortable.”

I cuddled up on the couch, careful to not touch her.

“Doctor, why don’t you like being touched?”

“I’m used to changing faces, Yaz, but this is the first time I remember being a woman, and it is just so foreign to me. I don’t like all these extra emotions and bleeding. It is hard to describe it.”

There was a knock on the door. Yaz got up and answered it.

Jack appeared. He was holding a bottle of whiskey and a container of custard creams.

“This is how you do right?” he said. “Jameson and sweets?”

“Jack this is kind of a girl’s night in,” Yaz hissed.

“Then don’t mind if I do,” he said and stepped past her.

“How’re you feeling Doc?”

“Jack, I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘not great.’”

He took a seat in a chair.

“So, what are we watching?”

“Jack,” Yaz said with a sigh.

“Oh, The Avengers. Cool. The aliens are kind of ridiculous-looking but I like the plot.”

I couldn’t take it. Too many voices, after a year of only brutes grunting at me. I got up.

“Doctor, don’t leave!” Yaz said.

“I’m perfectly capable of surviving my period on my own,” I said. “Just leave me be!”

“Doctor, I’ve missed you. I also think you need to talk about what happened while you were in prison,” Yaz said.

“What is there to talk about?” I snapped. “I was alone, except when food was shoved through a slot once a day. I made a few jailbreaks that didn’t work out. What else is there to say?”

“Doc, I know this mood,” Jack said. “Self-loathing isn’t a good look on you.”

“Do you want me break down and cry?” I asked angrily. “I’m not a crier. I’m going back to my TARDIS. Goodnight!”

I left and slammed the door.

I was being too hard on them, and I knew it. I just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask for?

I walked to the TARDIS and opened the door. Another cramp hit me. Doubling over in pain, I stumbled and fell on my side. I just laid there.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I could hear Jack saying. He knelt beside me. “What’s going on Doc?”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you.”

Jack took a seat beside me.

“I went back to what was left of Gallifrey. The matrix survived. I couldn’t access what was on it. But I think it showed you something that has you scared. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you should.”

I wanted to tell him. I want to no longer be alone with everything I knew. But part of me had hardened over the past year. No one could get in.

“Thanks for breaking me out Jack,” I said. “But please leave me alone, now.”

I stood up shakily.

Then I heard it, a guitar. I looked at the console and saw my previous self picking at a guitar.

“Jack?”

“I’m seeing it too.”

A spotlight appeared on the other side of the console. My eleventh form appeared.

“And I don't want the world to see me/'Cause I don't think that they'd understand/When everything's made to be broken/I just want you to know who I am.”

Twelve played the guitar, with passion. I moved to the music. It felt amazing. 

“How is this possible?” I asked, when the song finished.

Ten stepped forward.

“You need us,” he said. “We’re all part of you. We’ll never leave you for good.”

There was another light and Nine appeared.

“We all know this isn’t going to end well.”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” I said.

The War Doctor stepped forward.

“You’re hurting them more by staying quiet. Don’t be afraid.”

I turned around and saw Jack and my fam assembled. I took a deep breath. It was time.

“I’m the source DNA for the Time Lords. I’m not from Gallifrey, I don’t know where I’m from, as they’ve continuously wiped my memories for thousands of years. That’s why the Master burned down Gallifrey.”

“Let me hug you,” Jack said. “Please.”

I turned to my previous iterations. They all nodded, and I nodded at Jack. He reached forward and hugged me tightly.

When I looked back, the previous versions of me were gone. My fam crowded around me.

“Yaz, that fudge smelled divine,” I said as I let go of Jack.

“You made fudge!” Ryan said. “I want some.”

“Fine. Slumber party at my place,” she said.

The road to recovery from a year of solitude, was going to be long and difficult. But as I smiled a real smile at my friends, I knew this was the start.

THE END


End file.
